MLB Player News

Encarnacion jammed his left ring finger while making a diving play during Friday's spring game against the Guardians and is slated to have X-rays, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Manager Bob Melvin said after the game that Encarnacion will receive X-rays on his hand/finger, which will help determine how much time the 27-year-old will miss. If he ends up having to sit out the start of the regular season, Wilmer Flores would be the leading candidate to receive more DH opportunities.

Greene allowed three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out seven over five innings in Friday's spring start against the Mariners.

Greene made his final start of the Cactus League season, throwing 84 pitches (52 strikes). He finished the spring with a 5.57 ERA over six starts and 21 innings. Greene will next take the ball Opening Day against the Giants on March 27.

Myers (oblique) began playing catch Friday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Myers was diagnosed with a left oblique strain Monday after making an early exit from his Cactus League start Saturday, though manager Pat Murphy said the results of Myers' MRI were better than the team expected. The 26-year-old is now already back to throwing and didn't feel any discomfort while playing catch, which bodes well for his chances of joining the Brewers' rotation before the end of April.

Steer (shoulder) made three plate appearances in a minor-league game Thursday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Steer, who tested the shoulder earlier this week by throwing, took another step in his recovery Thursday, participating in his first game action of any kind since Feb. 27. He believes he'll be ready to start the regular season as a designated hitter but would be unable to play a position. Steer followed up Thursday's activity by taking more swings against reliever Scott Barlow. While he may be able to swing a bat in time for the regular season, Steer has about 20 spring at-bats, only seven of which have been in Cactus League play. He normally prefers about 50 at-bats.

Woodruff (shoulder) threw two innings in a minor-league spring game Friday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Manager Pat Murphy said the 32-year-old righty's fastball reached 95 mph Friday -- a tick up from the 94 mph he achieved during his one-inning Cactus League appearance March 10. The plan is for Woodruff to travel with the team to New York for its first regular-season series and throw an extended bullpen session. After that, he'll head back to Milwaukee to play in a sim game before embarking on a minor-league rehab assignment.

Martinez signed a five-year, $18 million contract extension with the Diamondbacks on Friday, Alex D'Agostino of SI.com reports.

In addition to covering him for 2025, Martinez's new deal will buy out his three arbitration years and includes club options for 2030 and 2031, giving him immediate financial security while the Diamondbacks get their young, hard-throwing reliever locked into a team-friendly deal. Martinez turned in a 2.48 ERA and 1.31 WHIP with 91 strikeouts over 72.2 innings during his first full season in the majors last year, though it's still unknown if he, A.J. Puk or Kevin Ginkel will be the preferred ninth-inning option once the regular season begins.

Encarnacion was removed from Friday's Cactus League game against Cleveland due to an apparent hand injury, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Encarnacion injured his hand while diving for a ball in the outfield. The severity of his injury isn't immediately clear, but the Giants should offer some more information once they're able to take a closer look at him.

Waldron (oblique) has yet to resume throwing, per MLB.com.

Waldron is dealing with a mild left oblique strain and is expected to begin the campaign on the injured list. He had been competing for the Padres' fifth-starter role this spring, though he struggled with an 8.68 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and 7:7 K:BB over 9.1 Cactus League innings before getting hurt. With both Waldron and Yu Darvish (elbow) likely unavailable at the start of the season, Randy Vasquez, Stephen Kolek and Kyle Hart are battling to fill San Diego's two available rotation slots.

The Nationals optioned Millas to Triple-A Rochester on Friday.

After going just 1-for-18 with six strikeouts this spring, Millas is now out of the race for the backup catcher job in Washington, leaving Riley Adams and Andrew Knizner as the remaining candidates. Millas turned in an .879 OPS in 241 Triple-A plate appearances last season, and he may get another shot in the majors if he can replicate his past performance.

The Nationals optioned Nunez to Triple-A Rochester on Friday.

Nunez turned heads in Nationals camp with a .419/.486/.484 slash line through 35 plate appearances and seemed to be making a real push for the Opening Day roster. He'll instead begin the season in Triple-A, which will allow the 24-year-old infielder to continue developing while playing every day -- something he wouldn't have been able to do in Washington.